PO Box 411, 2-4 Boston Road, Westford, MA 01886
Tel: (978) 692-5550, Fax (978) 692-5550
 

Research

The Westford Historical Society owns and maintains many resources for researchers.

Atwood Archives

In 2008, a large collection of papers and artifacts were donated to the Westford museum by the heirs of William Millet. The collection is referred to as "The Atwood Collection", after Mr. Millet's mother's family. Through the combined effort of many individuals, the papers have been sorted, indexed and boxed in acid-free folders. At left, Museum volunteer Jeff Henry attaches a label to one of the 7 boxes of archives. The paper archives include financial papers, correspondence, probate records, family

recipes and professional papers, among others.

For more information on the paper archives or other parts of the collection, please contact the museum office.

In a separate volunteer effort, several of the diaries from Mr. Millet's aunts were transcribed and are available online.

A video of Bill Millet's story is available on YouTube.

  • A Westford genealogy database is available for lookups in the office.
  • Indeces to the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds land records 1629-1855 are available for lookups. (Bring a thumb drive if you would like a copy.) The land records are also available in digital format.
  • Westford Annual Town Reports going back to 1840 are available for lookups and for puchase.
  • Westford historical house summaries include photos, descriptions and some ownership information.
  • Hodgman's The History of Westford is available for lookups and for purchase. It can also be found on GoogleBooks.
  • Listings of Westford vital records are available, and an indexing project is underway. To get copies of the actual records, you must contact the Town Clerk.
  • An Old House Renovation Research Library provides information on historic architecture, colors, interior design, lighting and much more.
  • Street listings back to the 1980s and city directories from the late 18th and early 19th centuries help locate people in town.
  • The Westford Wardsman was pulished in Turner's Public Spirit from 1906 through 1921. It is available in searchable softcopy. This contains primarily social and community news from the time period. Exerpts are published weekly in the Westford Eagle under the title A Century Ago.
  • Historical maps from 1730, 1855 and 1875 as well as the current Roudenbush map are available for lookups and for purchase.
  • Photos from the late 18th and early 19th c.
  • Papers and articles on the Westford Knight
  • Information on Westford's Historic Districts
  • Other local town histories, including Littleton, Groton, Chelmsford and Carlisle
  • 1855 and 1865 Westford census data
  • Information on Westford in the American Revolution and subsequent so called "Great Migration"
  • Westford Academy and Nashoba Tech yearbooks

 

The 100th Anniversary of Westford's Civil War Monument Dedication was marked in May of 2010. View the history here.

Some other interesting research links:

Pictures and info on the Harrington family, who lived in Graniteville in the late 1800s and early 1900s

 

If you're looking for something else related to Westford's history, please contact us.
PO Box 411, 2-4 Boston Road, Westford, MA 01886, Tel: (978) 692-5550